Hi there and welcome to the BrisStyle Inc. community blog. BrisStyle Inc. is a community group of artists and crafters who live in and around Brisbane. We work to provide support and creative opportunities for our members through workshops, business and creative development sessions, markets (come and meet the makers), exhibitions and social get-togethers. Head over to our website www.brisstyle.com.au for more information.

My husband
and I lived in Ireland for 18 months and they call the strip of shops on the
main street in town the ‘High Street’. It evokes a feeling of nostalgia for the
way we used to shop – where everybody knows your name.

We also
wanted the name to tell the customer what we sold before stepping in the doors.
Hence Handmade High Street marries together the nature of our business and our
retail philosophy.

2.How does Handmade High Street
support independent artists and crafters and/or the handmade community?

We believe
in helping every artisan who walks in our door whether they decide to rent a
space or not. I will always offer ideas and feedback on products if asked and
regularly refer potential contributors to other handmade stores in Australia if
I feel that their product would fit well with another store’s demographic.

Once a year
we host Junction Fair along the shopping strip here which allows artisans from
the community to showcase their handmade products.

We love
Brisbane and Queensland crafters and we also support a small amount of
interstate artists. Applications can be submitted on our website or by emailing
handmadehighstreet@gmail.com.

4.What does a typical day at
work involve for you?

I arrive in
the store early to photograph new products, update our various social media
sites and clean. We open our doors at 10am and look after a bunch of lovely
customers for the day. Sometimes people will stay in the store for over an hour
to peruse all the wonderful things we have on offer!

After lunch
it’s time to upload photos to our online store and Facebook. I usually spend
some time tidying the store and continue to serve customers until closing at
4pm.